Improvement in steam-pumps



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MW ptite CHARLES L. STEVENS AND ALBERT A. DENTON, OF GALESBURG, ILLINOIS.

Letters Patent No. 86,111, dated .Taima/ry 19, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM-PUMPS.

The Schedule referred ta in these Letters Patent and making part Iof the same.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, CHARLES L. S'rnvsxs and AL- BERT A. BENTON, of Galesburg, county oi' Knox, and State of Illinois, have invented a newand useful Double Self-Acting Wooden Steam-Pump or Tank; and we do hereby declare that the following is a clear, full, and exact description ofthe construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure lisa side elevation.

Figure 2 is a vertical section.

Like letters in the different gures of the drawings represent like parts.

The nature of our invention consists in the construction of wooden tanks, with wooden stocks or tubes, and with steam-pipes, provided with a two-way cock, operated by means of rods, connected with a ioat and plugs, for letting on and shutting oi the steam, the tanks being provided with proper valves and pipes for admitting and forcing out the water to and from the tanks.

Air-tubes, provided with check-valves, are also used for admitting air tothe tanks, which has been found to facilitate the forcing of the water from the tanks, especially where the water is being continually discharged.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A A are the tanks, made any required size, to suit the place where Aand the purpose for which they are to be used, and are constructed substantially the same way as our Woodensteam-tanks heretofore patented.

B B are wooden stocks or tubes, from six to twenty feet long, as may be required, according to the depth the tanks may be under water, these tanks being designed to operate under water from two to any number of feet required. A

The stocks or tubes are made by boring the propersize hole lengthwise through the centre of a solid stock, of suitable thickness and length, similar to the manner of boring pump-stocks, and may be secured against liability of bursting, by the pressure of the steam, by iron hoops.

The stocks are attached to the upper ends of the tanks by means of metallic collars with flanges, 4so as to prevent the escaping of steam.

A proper-sized hole is made through the head of the tank, under the stock, to admit the steam.

C C vC represent the steam metallic pipes connecting withthe wooden stocks at the top, and provided with the two-way cock D, for the purpose of conducting the steam to the tanks, first to one, and then changing it to the other, as the water is ibi-ced out,

first from one, and then from the other.

E E E are rods and levers, connected with the twoway cock by the crank F, and connected also with rods G G by loops in the ends of' levers E E, through which the upper ends of rods G G pass loosely, .being held from slipping out by means of a pin through the ends of rods G G. This attachment is arranged thus loosely for the purpose of allowing rods G G to slide up by the force ofthe water upon the metallic float, as will be more fully described.

H represents a metallic iioat, placed loosely on rod G, between the two collars al b, the rod G being kept in proper position by guide c.

I I are valve-boxes, attached on the bottom of the lower end ofthe tanks, and

K is a valve, (made separate from rod G, as seen in iig. 2,) for admitting the water into the tank.

L L are blow-off pipes, inserted through and extending a few inches above and below the upper ends of the tanks. The upper ends of these pipes are perforated with small holes, for the escaping of the steam.

M is a plug, on rod G, for closing the blow-oifpipe L. A similar plug is on rod G, in the otherV tank. These rods pass through pipes L.

N N N are water-pipes, connecting with valve-boxes I I, and provided with check-valves, as represented by cl in iig. 2.

O 0 O are air-tubes or pipes, provided with checkvalves e e, and communicating with the tanks, through the upper ends thereof.

I represents a wooden stock,similar to stocks B B, with the metallic pipes S and T, and two-way cock V, to benlsed only in case one t'ank, instead of two, is used.

Plates are placed under the stocks or tubes, through which the steam is admitted, a few inches below the heads of the tanks, being held in place by two or more bolts, screwed into the tank-beads, as shown by R, in iig. 2, for the purpose of arresting the column of steam, preventing it from being projected with its full force directly into the water, scattering it, and throwing it up against the heads of the tanks, and thus lessening tbe condensation of the steam while the water is being discharged.

Oper-ation.

The steam enters ,throughpipe O, and is conducted to one of the tanks by the two-way cock D, forcing the water out through pipe N, the check-valve d opening upward, valve k and blow-oii' pipe' L being closed when the steam is admitted.

As the water sinks below the iioat H, it slides down on rod G against collar a, and is theny caught by the current, and forced through the tank-head into the valve-box I, drawing down the rod G, and removing plug M from blow-off pipe L, allowing the steam in the tank tc escape, and at the same time, by means of the rods and levers E E E, reverses the two-way cock D, changing the column of steam into the other tank, forcing the water out of it, and, by means of the oat and rods, blowing of the steam, and changing the two-way cock so as to throw the steam again into the hole in the bottom of the tank, against collar b, and

lifts rod G till plug M closes the blo W-oc pipe L, the end of rod G sliding up through the loop in lever E, and the plug M is held in place, so as to close the' blowo" pipe by the pressure of the steam, when the water is being forced out of the tank.

It has been ascertained that there is considerable 'loss by condensation of the steam, in conducting itthrough water-in metallic pipes, which loss is avoided by the use of the wooden stocks or tubes, which should always be long enough to extend from vthe top of the tank to a point above the Water.

We have found, by experiment, that a small quantity of air is necessary where the water is being continually discharged, as designed bythese pumps. The quantity is regulated by the size of the pipes, and is admitted to first one and then rthe other of the tanks, as each vis being lilled, by means of the check-valves c e in pipes O O.

The pumps made with a single tank, as represented by stock P, and pipes S T, and the two-way cock' V, are for railroad-purposes. They may be made to contain any required quantity of water, say from one to two thousand gallons, and canbe placed at the bottom' of a well, or submerged in a stream or pond, and well scoured by proper stays. There need bc no checkvalve, to hold the Water in the discharge-pipe.

When the desired amount or all of the water has been discharged from the tank bythe force of the steam.

which is admitted through. pipe T, the two-way cock is then turned one-fourth around, which cuts c the steam,

' Thus the largest railroad-tender tank can be illed in a few seconds.v

l C Zat'ms.

Having thus fully described ourl invention,

What we claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

, l. The stocks or tubes B B and P, with steam-arrester plates'R, as arranged with the tanks AA, substantially as herein described. v

2. The blow-oli' pipes L L, plug M, float H, collars a and b, and guide c, constructed and arranged as herein described.

3. The construction and arrangement of the'tanks A A, stocks B B, pipes C G, two-Way cock D, levers E E, crank F, rods G G, floats H H, valve-boxes I I, valves K K, blow-olf pipes L L, plugs M M, pipesN N, air-tubes O 0, and collars a and b, as herein described. Y

As evidence that we claim the foregoingfwe have hereunto set our hands, in the presence of two witnesses.

CEAS. L. STEVENS. `ALBERT A. BENTON.

Witnesses C.. Trino. GRIFFITH, JESSE ZEBP. 

